20 questions on Philly goth industrial 
     
  If you’re not familiar with Nina Kate, you should be. She is a British model who has worked with several magazines (such as Skin Two, Bizarre etc.) and the owner of Jane Doe Latex. Being able to conduct an interview with such a down to earth celebrity was a great pleasure, so without further adieu;

1 - Could you give us a brief history of you? Where you live, what you do etc.
Well I spent my childhood growing up in London, then my teenage years in Cambridge, moving back to London when I was 18. Now I live in north London with my husband and my cat. I worked many different jobs, also while learning to work with latex until at 21 I decided to make my own company.

2 - How did you come to the decision to become a model, specifically a fetish model?
I don't think it was a specific decision I made. I was just at friend's house and he took a few photos, I started emailing them around and somehow they made it onto the cover of skin two! I also ran a little fetish night in Cambridge at that time so we used to come up with elaborate shoots for the flyers. I wouldn't say I was exactly a 'fetish' model, nor that Jane Doe is a 'fetish' company. It's just that sometimes I fall into that category.

3 - What was your first photo shoot like? How does the experience change with the more shoots you do?
my first proper one (with a whole team and for a magazine) was for skin two, I remember the photographer kept telling me to relax and it'd be a lot easier! I think was only just 18 the week before so was very young and only used to doing little shoots in my living room!
The more you do the more confident you become and the easier it is to get on with it. It also becomes a lot more enjoyable, as you know how to get the best out of each shoot.

4 - What kind of preparation do you do for a shoot?
Nothing out of the ordinary really! If I am organising the whole thing I will call/email everyone involved and make sure its all OK with arrival times and other details. Ill make sure I've made everything and have all the accessories and pieces that will be needed.
its a good idea to drink lots of water and eat well the day before as it'll make a difference to your skin!

5 - Could you tell us what a typical shoot is like? What do you do?
Well most of the time when its a Jane Doe shoot its pretty hectic for me! In a good way of course! Though if its one where I have been employed as a model its quite different. There is rarely a 'typical' shoot, but it usually goes like this; turn up, get make up and hair done, test lighting, get changed, start shooting! I like to get as much done as possible on a shoot, to me there is no point in having 800 photos of the same look or outfit.

6 - Do you maintain any creative control when doing a shoot?
Usually yes, but then that is the advantage to arranging most of the shoots myself. And even ones where I am just brought in as a model, most of the time they are after a different look so will ask my advice and take it into consideration. I'm perfectly happy to relinquish some control though when i know I'm working with a great team, after all it'd be no fun if you never tried anything out of your own comfort zone.

7 - Do you have a favourite photographer to work with? Why?
I couldn't pick just one! I Love working with people who have strong ideas, doesn't mean that they are the most famous or have the most expensive equipment. All the people I work with regularly are the ones that i most admire and of course get on well with!

8 - Of all the photo shoots you have done thus far which was your favourite? Why?
There are many that have been memorable. The Bizarre roller girl shoot was pretty fun, standing under a rain machine beating up poor S-J for 6 hours is hard to forget, thankfully by the time the water was running cold we were also being fed whisky which made it easier. I did one for a catalogue for Toxico clothing a few years ago which involved hacking up a caravan with an axe, that one was fun too. I love doing shoots that involve something a little more than just standing there - which of course doesn't work for everything but is a nice change every so often.

9 - Have you worked on the other side of the camera as a photographer?
I used to do photography at school and really enjoyed it, but don't think that really counts. I love taking photos on holiday and when I'm out but i don't think i have much talent for it, let alone decent equipment!

10 - Have you done any "Glamour" style photo shoots? If so, what is the difference doing glamour compared to your other work?
Not really, I have done some fashion and advertising work, but I would never really want to do all out glamour shoots - besides which there isn't much call for girls as heavily tattooed as I am in that line of work! I know what kind of shoots I want to be involved with and though I don't think there's anything wrong with nude or glamour work its not something that I myself would want to do.

11 - What do you do when you are not doing photo shoots?
Work, work and more work! ha ha. Well I have a pretty bad sushi and rose habit that needs to be sated at least twice a week! Ill be at my husband's gigs, or playing bass myself. I love travelling too so try to do that as much as possible.

12 - How did you get started working with Bizarre Magazine? What is it like working with them?
I had emailed them a long time ago and nothing came of it, till one day I decided to send another email, this time got a reply straight away! We met up to chat about clothing ideas when I got offered to work as a model as well. The first shoot I did with them was the roller derby one. I wasn't even meant to shoot as a model in it! But for one reason or another they ended up being a model short, so they asked me to jump in.
We have developed a great working relationship and I'm really happy to be part of the team now.

13 - How were your Bizarre Magazine photo shoots different from previous work you have done? Such as your work with Skin Two?
I love working with Bizarre. They not only have the most amazing creative teams its great for me to work towards a criteria, a common goal. With them the theme of the shoot is decided, models chosen, location found then a date set for the shoot. When I start working on the clothing for it I have all these things in mind.

14 - What is Jane Doe Latex, your involvement with the company? Why do you use latex as your medium and not something like denim?
Jane Doe is my own company that I have been running on my own since 2005. Latex is the material which I was first trained to use when I moved back to London, its an amazing material to work with. There is so much you can do with it and so many ways to use it. I do plan to branch out into other materials such as leather and even denim, but its just finding the time!

15 - How does your family respond to your work?
They are happy with what i do and proud of me. Every time a Bizarre or other magazine comes out with me in it they go round to the local shop to buy it (getting strange looks from the people who work there). They know how hard i work and that I have my head on right.

16 - What do you find so appealing about tattoos? Could you tell us a bit about some of yours?
Its hard to explain I think, either you have the bug or you don't! I just prefer to have my skin pretty and colourful rather than plain. My tattoos vary from just pretty flowers and birds, to some meaningful things (for instance the ones I got on my honeymoon that match my husbands), to just plain ridiculous (I recently got a huge piece started on my right thigh that goes from my knee to my hip which is a giant flamingo with a top hat on and little prawns and sushi at the bottom!).
I think I pretty much want to be totally covered. I recently got my both sides of my neck done which my family and some friends were thinking was going to be huge mistake, but once they saw it think its nice and not too 'hard and manly' looking at all.

17 - Taxidermy, really?
Yea! I love it. Its so beautiful and haunting to have these pieces in my house. I will learn to do it myself soon. Its not cruel at all - or at least its not in the UK. In other parts of the world animals are shot solely for stuffing, this is obviously wrong. However here its all road kill or animals killed for pest control or the egg trade which unfortunately the taxidermists have no control over. I don't eat meat as I believe the way animals are reared is wrong but having a Victorian deer's head on my wall isn't the same thing at all!

18 - How does it feel knowing you are ogled by millions of people world wide?
ha ha, Well to be honest I don't think about it much. As long as they are appreciating my work then its great!

19 - What are your future plans for yourself and Jane Doe Latex?
Well in the near future I hope to move to LA, which I'm laying the groundwork for now, but its going to take some time! As I said before I would like to introduce some new materials and expand as a label. Perhaps one day to combine a workshop with a store would be great!

20 - Do you have any advice for future modeling hopefuls?
Keep at it! it can take a while to 'get anywhere' but that doesn't mean its not worth doing. Make sure that you work with people who's work you admire and stick to your boundaries. Its best to try out new ideas rather than re-do themes that have been done a thousand times before.